Factors associated with antepartum pilgrimage at a reference maternity hospital in Ceará

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify factors associated with antepartum pilgrimage in pregnant women in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Method: A cross-sectional study with 300 postpartum women from a state reference maternity hospital, carried out from March 2020 to January 2021. The frequency of pilgrimage was estimated according to socioeconomic characteristics and prenatal care. Analysis with Pearson’s chi-square test selected variables for adjusted Poisson regression. Results: The frequency of antepartum pilgrimage to more than one health service was 34.3%. Not knowing the reference maternity hospital (1.16; 95%CI: 1.04–1.30) and not living close to the reference maternity hospital (1.16; 95%CI: 1.03–1.31) were associated with the occurrence of pilgrimage among women. Personal characteristics and prenatal care were not associated. Conclusion: There was an association between antepartum pilgrimage and lack of knowledge of the reference maternity hospital and residence far from that maternity hospital, which requires better team communication and the guarantee of easier access to obstetric care services, through effective implementation of regionalization of maternal care.